British driver Oliver Bearman criticized the FIA for deleting his fastest lap in qualifying for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix due to a late red flag in the session. He claimed he was not informed of the red flag until after he finished his lap. Two red flags disrupted the first qualifying session, with one caused by Yuki Tsunoda’s crash and another by Franco Colapinto’s violent accident.
The red flag from Colapinto’s crash ended the session, but Bearman was on a fast lap when it was displayed. The FIA decided that the red flags were shown before Bearman completed his lap, leading to its deletion. This ruling left Bearman qualifying in 19th place, behind only Tsunoda, who did not set a time.
Despite Haas’ efforts to appeal the decision, the stewards upheld the deletion of Bearman’s lap, impacting his chances of moving up the grid for the Imola GP. Bearman expressed disappointment at missing the opportunity to showcase the team’s hard work on their new car. He will start 19th on the grid alongside teammate Esteban Ocon for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
